Hi, I’m Jose Armenta and I’m the founder of Create Your Path (CYP), a fee-only financial planning firm dedicated to helping federal employees make better decisions with their money.

I founded CYP after realizing that federal employees had limited access to real financial planning. As a former Federal employee, I’m on a mission to help every federal employee plan for tomorrow while living their best life today.

I believe the focus of financial planning should be on your “why.” What are your goals and values? Once we’ve identified your path, I will guide you in designing a comprehensive financial life plan that’ll allow you to walk that path. Only after we have found the “why” can we create the “how” –and only after understanding your unique desires do we start discussing numbers.

When I first entered the financial services industry, I was discouraged by the type of financial services I saw offered to Federal employees, from inappropriate insurance products to patchwork advice focused on trying to “beat the market.” Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Columbia College, a master’s degree in financial and tax planning from San Diego State University, and a lifelong awareness of the link between money management and life satisfaction, I became determined to provide real comprehensive financial planning for Federal employees that focused on helping them accomplish their goals.

The decision to specialize in helping Federal employees stems from my experience serving in the Marine Corps as a bomb dog handler. In 2013, I was injured by an IED in Afghanistan and medically retired, along with my bomb dog Zenit. Despite this unexpected curve in my path, I still had the same “why”: I wanted to be involved in a mission greater than myself and help those I cared about. I knew this meant continuing to work with those who serve our great nation.

My “how” turned out to be launching Create Your Path, a fee-only, independent financial planning firm specializing in advising Federal employees. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner, Chartered Financial Consultant, an Enrolled Agent, and a former Federal employee who has been in your shoes, I am ready to guide you towards the life you envision.

When I am not working, I enjoy breaching blanket forts with my three little warriors, playing the drums, and taking family trips to Legoland.